Chapter 4: Slimes and a first encounter

The sun was warm, not that hot just right. What's hotter than the sun? 'Me!' a random thought echoes in her mind, talking to herself. 

The breeze was gentle. And while, the grass brushed gently across her ankles as she walked. 

Her steps were lazy, almost rhythmic, as though she were taking a casual stroll rather than venturing deeper into the unknown.

Everything felt peaceful. It is too peaceful. If the earlier accident isn't included though. 

Well, which is why she wasn’t entirely surprised when she spotted a group of strange, jiggly things in the distance.

"…Slimes?"

Yes, the typical very fantasy slimes. 

"Woahhh. Another cliché mob." 

There was a family of five of them, each roughly the size of a pillow. 

They wobbled slightly as they bounced. Their bodies were semi transparent. They were gleaming under the sunlight like living gelatin desserts.

She crouched low, tilting her head.

"Cute."

Still, she stayed cautious.

Anyone who had read even one isekai novel knew slimes could be deceptively dangerous. Still, she couldn't resist their appearance that suggested they are very soft.

Slowly and carefully, she reached out her hand to poke one.

Its surface was smooth, cool, soft like a gelatin. Then suddenly, SPLURT!

A sudden fountain of water blasted her straight in her face. 

“GYAAHHH!” she screamed as she was sent flying backward into the nearby pond. She landed on the surface with a loud splash.

Flailing, she sputtered and coughed as she tried to stand. Her robe becomes heavy to her like a wet rag, and there was more water dripping from every strand of her hair.

“Cold, cold, cold, cold!” she gasped.

She barely managed to get to her feet when there was another SPLOOSH!

Another jet of water like a hose hit her in the face. She was knocked up once again, then right back into the pond.

For a moment, she just sat there in stunned silence, water dripping from her bangs.

"…Okay. That’s it. You’re dead." She declared with a pissed off expression. Her teeth gritting with a smile, veins popped up on her face. 

"I just wanted to have a feel of you yet you pushed me down. I almost drowned!" she said. "Well, I kinda wanted to take a bath for real but, not like this..." 

She then stood back then stormed back to shore, gripping the god’s book like a weapon. The slime bounced innocently, as though mocking her. But really, it was just bouncing, and the mocking part may be an imagination of hers.

Like a predator, she crouched down and stepped slowly and steady and calculated. With a vicious swing, she brought the book down in a light, controlled strike. Her hands movements are slow. No splattering this time. She was being careful.

Very careful. Then, SPLAT!, again.

…And so, yet, the slime exploded anyway.

"GWWAAAAHHHHH!!!!!"

A rain of slimy, sticky goo coated her from front. Her hair, her clothes, her skin. 

The goo clung stubbornly, sliding down her from her. 

She froze, trembling slightly. "…I hate this world."

Her robe made a gross squelching sound when she moved.

Her skin felt clammy and slick, every motion a reminder of her humiliation.

"Alright… alright, don’t panic," she muttered to herself, forcing a deep breath. "I think there should be a spell for this."

Flipping open the book, she quickly found the spell called Dry on the same page 6, a few spells away from cleanse.

The instructions were short:

'Dry 

Step One: (You don't need this anymore)

Step Two: Exhale while chanting in a single breath: "Breeze, dry me whole." '

"It's there again. God's divine intervention by changing the letters of this book without me knowing." 

She inhaled deeply, focusing.

"Mist, cleanse... oh wait, no, wrong spell." she remarked. "Breeze, dry me whole."

Mana swirled around her inner vision as she exhaled, releasing a soft current of blue warm air that wrapped around her body like an invisible towel. Within seconds, her clothes and hair were completely dry.

"…Nice." she said. But when she blinked. "…Wait, no. Ew."

Though she was dry, the sliminess remained, making her feel like a human snail, or juice that dried, or whatever.

"I should use cleanse for this, right?"she muttered, 

She closed her eyes again, exhaled, and said, "Mist, cleanse me pure." 

There was no more slime feeling, no stickiness.

"…Woah."

She smiled in relief.

"That’s better."

Something shiny caught her eye.

Among the remains of the slime was a small, something like a marble ball. 

"Is this what I assume, its core? You know, core?" 

She picked it up, rolling it between her fingers. It was hard and smooth, almost like a polished gemstone.

“This… feels like loot." Her lips curved into a mischievous grin. "…And loot means fun."

Glancing back at the remaining slimes, she tightened her grip on the book.

"Don’t take it personally, guys. You could hurt someone." A dramatic pause. "…Also, I really want more shiny balls. Maybe I can turn you into money."

What followed was a brief, one sided massacre.

Each slime fell with a single, decisive smack of her book, leaving behind more cores for her growing collection.

Unfortunately, they all exploded in the process. Thankfully, there's the cleanse to the rescue.

By the end, she was sparkling clean and her pockets were stuffed with slime cores. And of course, she didn't forget the lone rabbit horn from earlier either. As a beginner, she should not waste loot.

"Whew… that was the most exercise I’ve had in forever," she said, stretching her arms over her head. "And it actually feels… kinda nice."

It was aa if she was playing a game. Unfortunately, no level up notifications or something like that. 

For a brief moment, she let herself enjoy the simple rush of moving her body again. Then, with a satisfied sigh, she continued walking.

Not long after, she stumbled upon a rocky path winding through the grassland.

It wasn’t a modern road by any means. There was just dirt and stones. Though, it was clearly man-made.

"If I follow this, I’ll probably find a village or something," she mused aloud. "Here I come, locals of this world."

There were two directions. 

"I wished I had a map... well, explore, I guess."

She closed her eyes, spinning in place with her arms stretched out.

"Mini mini minimo."

Her hands landed facing left.

"Left it is."

And so, she followed the path.

A few minutes later, a strange sound echoed behind her.

A steady, rhythmic stomps, which were accompanied by the creak of wooden wheels.

She froze.."...Huh?"

The sound grew louder.

Something big was walking up the road toward her.

She turned around. Her eyes widen. 

"Woah woah, what's that."

There, it was a big bird as huge as an ostrich but very colorful like a rainbow. It was pulling a carriage instead of a horse, which the carriage paled in comparison to the bird because it's just wooded and no paint.

"Is that a rainbow ostrich." 

The sight was so absurdly fantasy like that for a moment, she just stood there, awed. 

"This… this is really another world."

Still, she stayed cautious.

The book was ready in her hand, just in case the carriage turned out to belong to bandits or bad guy or any other worse case scenario, or if the creature pulling it decided she looked like a snack.

As the carriage neared, she raised one hand high, waving like a hitchhiker.

"Hey! Over here!"

The driver, an older man with a grizzled beard, slowed to a stop. He gave her a curious once-over.

"Hello there, mister. Good morning... or, good afternoon? Sorry, I'm bad at tracking time." She plastered on her cutest, most innocent smile. "So, um, excuse me but, may I know where you are headed?"

The man’s stern face softened instantly, like ice melting. 

"It's a good afternoon right now, young lady. I’m a merchant. I'm heading to the nearest town."

Her eyes sparkled. She pouts, while her pointy fingers touching and no touching and touching again each other, as if shy. Finally, she asked, "Could I… maybe have a ride? 

'Time to test the power of my face's cuteness.' she thought. 

She was acting cute. Though, her intentions was different. 

'Let's see if this gets me a free ride.'

She tilted her head slightly, clasping her hands under her chin in a picture-perfect display of cuteness.

"Pretty please?"

The man let out a warm chuckle, eyes crinkling.

"Of course, of course! Climb aboard. No way I’d leave a sweet girl like you out here alone."

"Woahh really? Thank you so much!" she exclaimed, bowing at a perfect 180° angle. The movement was so earnest and dramatic that the merchant couldn’t help but laugh again.